September 11, 2002
Macomb Daily - Rolling up her sleeves
Small businesses fuel the economy. They also kept the relief embers burning. Chiropractors offered free examinations and hair salon owners offered free cuts and manicures for a donation to the American Red Cross. One salon, BoRics Hair Salon in St. Clair Shores, raised $105,000 for the Twin Towers Orphan Fund.
One small business that it still giving is All American Screen Printing, owned by Christine Delvecchio. Following the attacks, the single mother of two and her graphic artist, Sara Gale, designed a T-shirt that would commemorate the attack victims and raise money for their families. The white shirts read, “You can break America’s heart but you will never break our spirit!” followed with an “I love New York” message featuring a heart split down the middle.
The goal was to sell 1,000 shirts.
When people in Sterling Heights heard what Delvecchio was doing they rushed to help. Hundreds of strangers worked side by side, boxing and bagging shirts. “I even had a doctor on the press,” said Delvecchio. At one point she encouraged volunteers to sign a roster so she could thank them later, but it remained blank. She’ll never forget what they did.
Once Delvecchio reached her goal of raising $100,000, the fund-raiser evolved into a community project. School children who tour the facility to see how T-shirts are printed are encouraged to write letters to the military personnel serving overseas. Each month Delvecchio ships a box of T-shirts to a military base overseas. She encloses letters from the children and a note explaining the gift. Delvecchio has always donated 10 percent of her company’s profit to charity. Now Delvecchio’s nights are spent answering the letters that she receives from Americans fighting overseas. “I don’t see any end to it,” Delvecchio said, “because there’s always going to be men and women sacrificing their life for their country. God bless them for being there, and shame on anyone who forgets them.”
